Container mounting arrangement for piggyback railway car



1968 J. E. GUTRIDGE ETAL 3,370,550

CONTAINER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR PIGGYBACK RAILWAY CAR 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 14, 1966 INVENTORS JACK E. GUTRIDGE WILLIAM VAN DE SLUYS BY J j z 46% ATT'Y.

1968 N J. E. summer: ETAL 3,370,550

CONTAINER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR PIGGYBACK RAILWAY CAR Filed Feb. 14, 1966 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 WILLIAM VAN DER SLUYS 5 INVENTORS JACK E. GUTRIDGE H ATT'Y.

1968 J. E. GUTRIDGE ETAL 3,370,550

CONTAINER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR PIGGYBACK RAILWAY CAR Filed Feb. 14, 1966 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 III INVENTORS JACK E GU TRIDGE WILL/AM VAN DE SLUYS BY W M ATT'Y.

Feb; 1968 J. E. GUTRIDGE ETAL 3,370,550

CONTAINER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR PIGGYBACK RAILWAY CAR Filed Feb. 14, 1966 s Sheets-Sheet 4 Miln- IN VENTORS 29 JACK E, GUTR/DGE W A TT'Y.

'3 WILLIAM VAN DE SLUYS BY @247? Feb. 27, 1968 J. E. GUi'RlDGE ETAL 3,370,550

CONTAINER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR PIGGYBACK RAILWAY CAR Filed Feb. 14, 1966 8 Sheets-Sheet .5

INVENTORS JACK E. GUTRIDGE WILLIAM VAN DER SLUYS ATT'Y.

1968 J. E. GUTRIDGE ETAL 3,370,550

CONTAINER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR PIGGYBACK RAILWAY CAR Filed Feb. 14, 1966 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 RI INVENTORS JACK E. 'GUTR/DGE WILL/AM VAN DER SLUYS M2 1 ATT'Y.

F 1968 J. E. GUTRIDGE ETAL CONTAINER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR PIGGYBACK RAILWAY CAR 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Feb. 14, 1966 (ll j r0 w i af N s N a: 1 l I l AA I INVENTORS m l JACK E. GUTRIDGE H\ WILLIAM VAN DER SLUYS ATT'X Feb. 27, 1968 J. E. GUTRIDGE ETAL 3,370,550

CONTAINER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR PIGGYBACK RAILWAY CAR Filed Feb. 14, 1966 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTORS JACK E. GUTRIDGE WILLIAM VAN DER SLUYS BY 3,370,550 Patented Feb. 27, 1968 United States Patent Ofifice 3,370,550 CONTAINER MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR PIGGYBACK RAILWAY CAR Jack E. Gutridge, Dyer, Ind., and William Van Der Sluys, Homewood, IlL, assignors to Pullman Incorporated, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 527,154 12 Claims. (Cl. 105-368) The present invention relates to railway freight vehicles of the type adapted for piggy-back transporting of semitrailers and containers and more particularly to a new and improved arrangement providing cushioned support structure for mounting and hitching semi-trailers and containers thereon.

Freight cars presently employed for piggyback operation are generally of the fiat deck type having the couplers and the usual draft gear at each end thereof. These draft gears are incapable of absorbing sufiicient energy of the impact applied thereto during operation so that considerable forces are imposed on the semi-trailers or containers carried on the cars. This requires that the trailer stanchions used to hitch semi-trailers on the cars be cushioned in order to provide lading protection for the lading carried by the semi-trailers. To this end the forces imposed on the trailer kingpin locked on the fifth wheel plate are maintained within tolerable limits. This is accomplished by providing the stanchion with a cushioning arrangement permitting predetermined travel of the fifth wheel plate, thereby absorbing or dissipating a portion of the forces imposed on the kingpin.

conventionally the fifth wheel stand or stanchion includes a fifth wheel plate which is supported on a structure including a plurality of interconnected strut members which are constructed and arranged to be movable between and operative in erect position in which the semitrailer is hitched to the stanchion and an inoperative folded collapsed position stored adjacent the floor or on the underframe of the railway car. To achieve the cushioned travel a cushioning device is associated with at least one of the struts to permit limited swinging movement or travel of the fifth wheel plate in the erect operative position of the stands.

A railway car, stanchion, and semi-trailer construction requirements and operating conditions are such as to limit the amount of cushioned travel of the fifth wheel plate. Presently, the cushioned travel of the plate is limited to between about eight to twelve inches of travel on either side of several neutral positions. While such cushioned travel is adequate for semi-trailer piggyback transportation, it is desirable that the cushioned travel for container piggyback operations be of greater length to achieve increased lading protection.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a flat deck railway car having a cushioned stanchion mounted thereon with a new and improved container supporting and mounting arrangement which is associated with the cushion means of the stanchion in a manner to impart cushioned travel in excess of that of the stanchion cushioning means.

It is a further object taken in conjunction with the immediately foregoing object to provide the container supporting and mounting arrangement with a cushion travel multiplying means which is connected to the stanchion cushioning means for achieving the desired travel.

It is still a further object to provide a mechanical linkage arrangement for increasing the travel of the container cushioning arrangement.

It is another object to provide a container supporting and mounting arrangement associated with a stanchion cushioning device with a resilient cushioning arrangement connected in series with said stanchion cushioning means to increase the travel of said container supporting and mounting arrangement.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and novel arrangement for indexing and locking a container bolster on a railway car.

Further objects and features will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the railway car on which the present invention is adpated to be embodied and showing a stanchion in the operative position for supp-orting and hitching a semi-trailer on the car;

FIG. 1A is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing one form of container mounting and hitching arrangement of the present invention is adapted to be embodied and the container mounting and hitching arrangement includes a kingpin hitching plate for locking a kingpin depending from the underside of a container and a bolster assembly;

FIG. 1B is similar to FIG. 1A but showing a further embodiment of a container mounting and hitching arrangement including a pair of bolster assemblies for mounting a container thereon;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the cushion travel multiplying arrangement of the container mounting and hitching arrangement shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1A and showing the stanchion cushion device and the cushion tra-vel multiplying ar rangement;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the line 44 of FIG. 1A and showing the attachment of the container kingpin hitching plate to the slide member;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1B and showing the manner in which the bolster is connected to the slide member of the container mounting arrangement;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the stanchion cushion arrangement;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the stanchion cushioning arrangement taken generally along the lines 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 8-8 of FIG. 1A and showing the rear bolster arrangement for mounting a container on the car;

FIG. 9 is a top plan 'view of the bolster arrangement shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of a cushioned travel multiplying arrangement embodying a resilient cushion means connected in series with the stanchion cushion;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 1212 of FIG. 11 and showing the manner in which the container cushion is connected in series to the stanchion cushioning device; I

FIG. 13, is a cross sectional view of thetravel multiply: ing cushion taken generally along the line 13-13 of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the container kingpin latching mechanism with the hitching plate shown in phantom; and

FIG. is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 15-15 of FIG. 14 and showing the details of the container kingpin latching mechanism.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a railway flatcar 10 of the type to which the present invention is adapted to be applied. As shown the fiatcar 10 comprises essentially an underframe 11 including a center sill 122 formed as a box section. Fixed to the center sill 12 is a floor 13 which extends between a pair of laterally or transversely spaced side sills 14. The side sills 14 are attached to the usual cross ties and bolsters (not shown) spaced lengthwise of and fixed to the center sill 12. The underframe 11 is supported on the usual Wheel trucks (not shown).

In the flatcar as shown there is provided a fifth wheel stand or stanchion 16 which is mounted for movement between a collapsed position adjacent the floor 13 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B and an operative erect position in which latter position the stanchion 16 is operative to support a semi-trailer T thereon. The semi-trailer T is hitched to the stanchion by way of a kingpin locking arrange'ment (not shown), which engages the kingpin K depending from the underside of the semi-trailer T.

The stanchion 16 in the embodiment as shown is of the general type shown in US. Patent 3,185,421 and includes a fifth wheel plate 25 mounted on an upright strut 17 pivotally connected at its lower end to the floor 13 by means of pivot pins 18 carried by trunnion brackets 19 fixed to the floor 13 of the car. Pivotally connected to the upright strut 17 as by a pin 15 is an upper diagonal strut member 21 which is pivotally connected at its lower end to a lower diagonal struct member 22. The upper and lower diagonal struts form a diagonal strut assembly 23. As shown the upper and lower diagonal strut members at their adjacent ends overlie each other so that in the operativeerect position, as shown, a latching mechanism (not shown) serves to maintain the diagonal strut assembly 23 in its rigid linear position and thereby the stanchion in its erect position. The lower end of the lower diagonal strut 22 is pivotally connected by way of pivot pins 24 to upstanding trunnion brackets 26 fixed to a crosshead assembly 27 of a stanchion cushion arrangement 28, which serves to reduce the forces imposed on the fifth wheel plate 25 by the kingpin depending from the semi-trailer and to provide lading protection to the lading in the semi-trailer. The maner in which the cushioning arrangement 28 operates Will be more fully explained hereinafter.

In the collapsed position of the stanchion 16 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the upper and lower diagonal strut members are folded and nested within the confines of the upright strut. The erection of the stanchion is accomplished by the application of a pull-up force applied at a crossbar on the upright strut 17. Upon the application of a pullup force to the upright strut 17, the latter is turned about the pivots 18 to an upright position. At the same time the upper and lower diagonal strut members 21 and 22 unfold relatively to each other until they assume the rigid linear position shown. The diagonal strut latching mechanism (not shown) in this position is operative to lock the upper and lower diagonal strut members in this position and thereby retain the stanchion 16 erect. In the operative position, as heretofore explained, the kingpin depending from the underside of the semi-trailer is locked Within a locking jaw carried by the fifth wheel plate 25, whereby the semi-trailer'is hitched and mounted on the railway car 10 for transit thereon.

. In therailway car illustrated the fifth wheel stand or stanchion 16 is disposed between a pair of transversely spaced rail or channel members 29, each formed from an inverted U-shaped channnel which is suitably fixed, as by welding, to the deck or floor 13 of the railway car 10. The rails 29 are conveniently spaced so as to provide transversely spaced wheel guiding surfaces for the wheels of semi-trailers and tractors.

The cushioning arrangement 28 as shown in particular in FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 7, comprises the cross-head assembly 27 and a cushion device 31 for providing cushioned travel of the stanchion 10. The crosshead assembly 27 in cludes a crosshead plate 32 on which trunnion brackets 26 pivotally supporting the diagonal strut 23 are mounted. The crosshead plate 32 is guided for lengthwise movement by means of transversely spaced guide plates 33 fixed to the floor 13 of the car 10. As shown in partieular in FIG. 6, a transversely extending and upstanding reinforcing plate 34 is fixed to the end faces of the trun= nion brackets 26. Extending longitudinally from the reinforcing plate 34 is a pair of upstanding plates 36 between which there is fastened as by welding one end of a crosshead connecting bar 37 which at its other end is adapted to be connected to the cushioning device 31.

The cushioning device 31 includes a pair of transversely spaced channel members 38 fixed to the floor 13. Fixed across the upper flanges of the channels is a reinforcing cover plate 39. Disposed between the channels 38 is a lengthwise movable cushion actuating member 41 comprising in the form as shown a pair of transversely spaced channels 42' interconnected along the upper flanges by means of a horizontal plate 43 and lengthwise spaced web plates 44. Lengthwise spaced guides 46 overlying the bottom flanges of the channels 42 and fixed to the floor 13 serve to guide the cushion actuating channel 41 for movement lengthwise of the car. The cushion actuating member 41 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is connected at its forward end to the longitudinally extending connecting bar 37 of the crosshead by means of a pin 47 which is seated in complementary openings 48 and 49 formed in a pair of transversely extending plates 51 fixed between the channel 42 and the connecting bar 37, respectively. It is to be noted the head 52 of the pin 47 projects above the plate 39 which is formed with a slot 53 for accommodating the head during lengthwise movement of the actuating member 41. Extending between and in the spaces between the respective vertical webs 54 and 56 of the channels 38 and the channels 42, respectively, is a plurality of rubber pads 57 which serve to absorb or dissipate a portion of the energy of impact applied on the stanchion 16. The rubber pad units each comprise essentially a rectangular rubber block having bonded to the outer faces thereof metallic fastening plates from which there extend bolts which are received in complementary openings formed in the respective vertical webs 54 and 56 and have nuts threaded thereon.

Upon the application of a force to the fifth wheel plate 25 as by impact applied at the coupler ends of a car causing relative movement between the semi-trailer hitched thereon and the car, the stanchion 16 tends to swing about the vertical strut 17 pivotally connected to the base by way of the pin 18 mounted on the trunnion brackets 19. Upon such swinging movement of the vertical strut 17, the crosshead plate 32 connected to the lower ends of the diagonal strut 23 is moved lengthwise in the direction of the force being imposed on the fifth wheel plate 25.

Upon lengthwise movement of the crosshead plate 32, the resilient pads affixed between the lengthwise movable cushion actuating member 41 and the stationary channels 38 are stretched longitudinally to provide shear resisting force which is imparted to the sliding crosshead and thereby to the stanchion 16. Such a shear resisting force is operative to absorb or dissipate a portion of the energy of impact and thereby reduce the forces imposed on the kingpin K lockedto the fifth wheel plate 25.

In this connection it should be mentioned that the rubber resilient pads stretch lengthwise of the car to the extent of their elasticity and thereby limit the cushioned travel of the fifth wheel plate. Depending upon the particular geometry of the stanchion employed, the travel of the fifth Wheel plate may be greater than the travel of the rubber pads 57. In the embodiment of the stanchion as shown the travel of the fifth wheel plate 25 is greater than the travel of the rubber pads 57 by approximately the ratio of the length of the upright strut between the pivots 18 and the fifth wheel plate 25 and the distance between the pivots 18 and the pivots 15. While this cushion travel of the fifth Wheel plate is satisfactory for transporting semi-trailers piggyback on the railway cars, it is desirable that an increased travel be employed for the purpose of transporting containers.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the container supporting and mounting arrangement of the present invention comprises generally a container mounting and supporting assembly 61 and a cushioned travel multiplying arrangement 62 associated with the cushioning arrangement for the stanchion. The container mounting and supporting assembly 61 includes a kingpin gathering assembly 63 which serves to mount and fasten the container C by way of the kingpin K depending from the underside of the front end of a container C and a bolster assembly 64 at the rear end of the container C.

The kingpin gathering assembly 63 includes a kingpin gathering plate 66 which is mounted on a pair of transversely spaced slide members 67. The slide members are each formed as a channel, of which one of the downwardly depending legs 68 is bent inwardly to underlie a guide plate 69 fixed to the horizontal web 71 of the rails 29. The other leg 72 of the channel 67 rests against the side of the rails 29. In this manner the slide members or channels 67 are guided for lengthwise movement of the car 10. Fixed to the channels 67 are upstanding attachment plates 73 provided with a plurality of openings for receiving nut and bolt assemblies 74 for securing the kingpin gathering plate 63 thereon.

The kingpin gathering plate 63 has aflixed to the underside thereof a pair of plates 76 spaced complementary to the upstanding attachment plates on the slide members 67. The plates 76 are formed with openings adapted to be aligned with the openings in the attachment plates so as to receive the nut and bolt assemblies for detachably fastening the kingpin gathering plate 63 on the slide members 67.

As shown in particular in FIGS. 14 and 15, the kingpin gathering plate 63 includes a kingpin latching device 76 comprising a rounded kingpin gathering body member 77 formed with an annular seat or pocket 78 defined by closed perimeter conical surfaces 79 and a planar abutment or floor surface 81. The body member 77 is formed with spaced openings or apertures 82 and 83 that extend axially of the kinpin pocket and through the conical guide surfaces 79 and which are adapted to receive the respective rigid locking prong members 84 of a pronged locking device 86 that is employed for the purpose of establishing space abutment or shear stress connections between the kingpin and the latch device body member over the full length of the pocket, as shown in particular in FIG. 15, and thereby to lock the kingpin P to the kingpin latching assembly.

Pivotally connected to the prong latch assembly 86 is one end of a lever 87 of an operating mechanism 88. The other end of the lever 87 is disposed in a slotted opening 89 formed in sleeve member 91 which is internally threaded and disposed on an operating screw 92 extending transversely between and supported by the downwardly depending attachment flanges 76. The lever 87 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a support 93 so that upon turning movement of the operating screw 92 as by a crank R at either end thereof, the latching prongs 84 are moved inwardly or outwardly with respect to the conical kingpin pocket, thereby either to release or lock the kingpin P in position by engagement 6 with the kingpin groove G. Limiting outward movement of the locking prongs 84 is a downwardly depending plate 95 which is adapted to engage a connecting plate 94.

In accordance with the embodiment shown generally in FIG. 1A, the slide members 67 are connected to the stanchion cushioning device 28. As heretofore explained it is desirable that the cushioned travel of the container mounting and supporting arrangement 61 be of greater length than that of the stanchion 16. To this end there may be used a mechanical travel multiplying arrangement 96 as shown in FIGS. 1A, 2 and 3, or a second resilient cushion arrangement 97 arranged in series with the stanchion cushion 31 as shown in FIGS. 10 through 12.

Referring first to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A, 2 and 3, the mechanical travel multiplying arrangement 96 includes a connecting arm 98 which is detachably secured as by a pin 99 to the top plate of the lengthwise movable actuating member 41 of the stanchion cushion 31. At its other end the connecting arm 98 is formed with a clevis 101 which is connected as by a pin 102 intermediate the ends of a movement multiplying lever arm 103. The lever arm 103 is pivotally connected at one end for movement about a bolt 104 detachably fastened to the floor 13. At the other end of the lever arm 103 is connected to one of the slide members 67 by a bolt 106. It is to be noted that the connecting arm 98 is pivotally connected intermediate the ends of the lever arm 103 so as to multiply the lengthwise travel of the arm 98 by the ratio of the distance between the pin 102 and bolt 104 and the distance between the bolts 104 and 106. In this manner the cushioned travel of the container mounting assembly 61 is increased to the slide members 67 on each one of the upstanding rails.

The rear container support and mounting arrangement (:4 is in the form of bolster 111 as shown in particular in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 8 and 9. The bolster 111 is detachably mounted on a pair of transversely spaced rear guide angles 112 fixed on the rails 29. The rear bolster is formed of generally box-like cross section and on the underside thereof there is fixed a pair of slide angles 113 overlying the guide angles 112 so as to permit sliding lengthwise movement.

Mounted on the ends of the bolster 111 is a pair of supporting pads 114 on which the corners of the container C are adapted to rest. Located inwardly of the ends is a pair of transversely spaced indexing and locking assemblies 116 which are adapted to fit into complementary openings 0 formed on the underside of container C.

The indexing and locking assemblies 116 are of substantially conventional construction and are formed with a head 117 of generally rectangular contour and having tapering side surfaces 117a and conical end surfaces 117b. Depending from the underside of the head 117 is a shaft 118. The heads 117 in an indexing position are generally disposed so that the conical end surfaces 117b are trans verse to the car for locating the container thereon. Thereafter, the locking heads 117 are turnable so that the conical surfaces 117b lie on the longitudinal axis, in which position the heads overlie a flange on the underside of the container C so as to hold the latter fixed on the bolster 111. The locking heads 117 are actuated by a common operat ing shaft 119 turnably supported along the side of the bolster 111. The shaft 119 is formed with threaded portion 120 intermediate its ends. Turnably and threadably mounted on the threaded portion of the shaft is a sleeve member 121. Extending outwardly from the sleeve memher 121 is a pair of pins 122 between which there is disposed one end of an actuating lever 123 which is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 124 to a bracket 126 fixed to the underside of the bolster 111. At its upper end the lever is formed with a slot 127 which receives a pin 128 carried by a bracket 129 fixed intermediate the ends of a lever 131. The lever 131 has connected to each of its ends by way of pivot pins 132 one end of a turning arm 13-3. The other ends of each of the turning arms 133 are connected to shaft 118 which are supported in a suitable mounting bracket 135 fixed to the bolster 111.

From the foregoing description it should be readily apparent that upon turning of the operating shaft 119 as by a wrench or the like attachable to the ends R, the sleeve 121 is turned so as to rock the actuating lever 123 about the pivot 124, whereupon the slotted end accommodating the pin 128 on the lever 131 is operative to move the latter transversely of the car. Upon transverse movement of the lever 131, the turning arms 133 are operative to turn indexing heads 117 to either the indexing position or locked positions.

As is well known, the lengthwise distance between the kingpin P and the indexing and locking openings on the underside of the container are fixed. Thus, when the container C is to be located on the car the bolster 111 and the locking jaw plate 63 must be spaced a corresponding distance. At the same time the bolster 111 must be fixed on the car against lengthwise movement so as to properly index the container C thereon.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a bolster latching or locking means 136 which is associated with the indexing and locking head operating arrangement. The bolster locking arrangement 136 comprises a pair of spring biased plungers 137 which are slidably mounted in respective sleeves 138 carried on the underside of a bracket 113 which is fixed to the bolster 111. The locking plungers 137 are adapted to enter selective ones of a plurality of openings 141 formed on the inner leg of the rails 29.

In the position as shown, the bolster locking plungers 137 are engaged within one pair of openings 141 to hold the bolsters against endwise movement. T 0 permit lengthwise movement of the bolster 111 each of the locking plungers 137 is connected to a respective retracting lever 142. The retracting levers 142 are each also connected to the actuating lever 123 so that upon movement of the actuating lever 123 from the indexing position of the locking heads to the locked position of the latter, the locking plungers 137 are retracted out of engagement with the openings 141. Thus, it should be readily apparent that after the container has been indexed on the container supporting and mounting arrangement and the locking and indexing heads have been turned to their container locked position, that the locking plungers 137 are simultaneously disengaged or retracted from the openings. Thus, the rear bolster is free for sliding movement lengthwise of the car on the rails 29. It is to be noted that in the embodiment of the invention shown the rear bolster 111 is merely frictionally slidable lengthwise of the car and is not connected 7 to the cushioning arrangement 28 as is the front kingpin gathering plate assembly 63.

The container mounting and supporting arrangement including the kingpin gathering plate assembly and the rear bolsters 63 and 64, respectively are applied to the railway car 10 when the stanchion 16 is in the collapsed position shown. The gathering plate assembly is mounted with the slide members 67 supported on the rails 29. The travel multiplying arrangement 96 connected to the rear end of the slide members 67 is attached to the car by fastening the lever 103 to the floor 13 with the bolt 104, and the connecting arm 98 attached to the lever 103 is connected to the stanchion cushioning device 41 by way of the insertion of the pin 99. Also the stanchion 16 is disconnected from the cushion stanchion 31 by the removal of the pin 47 fiom the crosshead assembly 27. Thus, the stanchion 16 is completely disconnected from the stanchion cushion unit 41 and the latter is operative solely to provide cushion travel of the kingpin gathering plate assembly 63.

The rear bolster 111 is positioned on the rails 29 and locked in position until the container C is positioned thereon. Thereafter when the heads 117 are turned to the locked position, the bolster 111 is free to move lengthwise of the car with the container. Also the container kingpin P is locked to the assembly 61 as heretofore explained.

Assuming now the application of a force on the end of the couplers the container C mounted on the kingpin gathering arrangement 63 and the bolster 111 tend to move lengthwise relative to the car. Such movement is resisted by way of the kingpin gathering assembly 63 being connected to the stanchion cushioning device 41 through the connection of the slide members 67 and the travel multiplying leverage 103 and 98 as heretofore explained. Thus, the relative movement of the front end of the container is resisted by the length of travel of the cushioning device 43 as multiplied by the lever arrangement 98-103. In this manner the container C is cushioned against impact by the cushioning device 28.

At the same time the rear end of the container C mounted on the bolster C moves lengthwise to the extent of travel of the cushioning device 28 and the travel multiplying arrangement 96. However the bolster 111 is not connected to the cushion device such that the frictional force between the slide angles 113 and the guide angles 112 mounted on the rails 29 is also available to resist the relative movement of the container C and thereby provide a further reduction in the impact energy imposed on the lading carried in the container.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 10 through 13 there is shown the resilient travelling multiplying cushioning arrangement 97 which is connectable to the stanchion cushion device 31. For making the connection between the cushioning arrangement 97 and the stanchion cushion device 31 are a pair of vertically spaced plates connected across the two channels 42 of the stanchion cushion device 31. Supported by and fixed to the plates 140 is a column which extends through an opening 144 in the upper one of the plates 140 and has a threaded axial opening 143. The threaded opening 143 is adapted to receive a connecting screw 146, as more fully to be described hereinafter.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 the resilient travel multiplying cushioning arrangement 97 includes a lower channel member 148. of substantially U-shaped cross section. Fixed to the horizontal web 149 of the channel 148 as by bolts and nuts 151 is one side of each of a plurality of rubber cushioning pads 152. The rubber cushioning pads 152 may be of similar construction to the rubber pad 57 of the stanchion cushioning device 31. Fixed to the opposite side or face of each of the rubber cushion pads 152 as by bolts and nuts 151 is a channel 153 of substantially hat shaped section.

Mounted on the horizontal web 149 of the channel 148 is an inverted U-shaped supporting bracket 154 having an opening which receives a shank 156 of the eonnecting screw 146. The lower end of the shank 156 is threaded and adapted to be inserted into the threaded opening 143 of the column 145 fixed to the stanchion cushion actuating member 41. The shank 156 of the connecting screw 146 is accommodated within elongated slot 157 to permit relative movement between the channel member 148 and the hat shaped member 153. It is to be noted that the upper end of the column 145 extends through a longitudinal elongate slot 158 formed in the plate 39 extending between the stationary channel members 38 of the stanchion cushion device 31.

The hat shaped channel 153 is connected as shown in particular in FIGS. 10 and 12 to the container kingpin gathering plate 63. The connection is accomplished by way of nuts and bolts 159 connecting the vertical flanges 161 of the hat shaped channel 153 to downwardly depending legs 162 of a bracket 163 fixed to the kingpin gathering plate 63.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that the kingpin gathering plate assembly 63 and the resilient cushion travel multiplying arrangement 97 may be mounted on the car as a unit. This is accomplished by mounting the slide members 67 on the rails 29 and attaching the cushion travel multiplying arrangement 97 to the stanchion cushion device 31 by way of the attachment pin 146. In this connection it is to be noted that the pin 47 connecting the stanchion cushion 31 to the crosshead plate 32 connecting bar 37 projects above the plate 39 and the column 142 so that it is essential that the pin 47 with projecting head 52 be removed before the resilient cushion travel multiplying arrangement can be attached to the stanchion cushion device 31. In this manner the pin 47 serves as a safeguard to prevent simultaneous attachment of the stanchion 16 and the kingpin gathering plate 63 to the stanchion cushion 31.

Assuming now that a container C is mounted on the kingpin gathering plate assembly 63 and the bolster 111 and an impact is applied on the ends of the car 10 such that there is relative movement of the container C and the car, the container gathering plate assembly 63 slides lengthwise of the car in the direction of the force causing the connecting bracket 163 and the hat shaped channel 153 atfixed thereto to be moved in the same direction. This movement causes the rubber pads 152 fixed to the hat shaped channel 153 and to the channel 149 to be extended in shear in the direction of the application of the force. The extension of the pads 152 occurs in the shear plane of the faces of the rubber pads so as to provide a shear resisting force. As the rubber pads 152 extend in the shear plane, the lower channel 149 which is connected to the stanchion actuating member 41 also moves in the same direction, whereupon the rubber pads 57 fixed to the channel 38 are also extended in a shear plane. The resilient cushion device 97 and the stanchion cushion thereby function similarly to two springs connected in series. Thus, the cushion travel of the kingpin gathering plate assembly is the sum of the travel of the pads 152 and the pads 57.

The foregoing descriptions of the container mounting arrangements have each been in connection with a kingpin gathering and latching assembly 61 and a bolster 111. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1B and 5 there is shown a bolster 201 connected to the slide channels 67. The bolster 201 is of similar construction to the bolster 111 and includes the indexing and fastening heads 116 rotatably mounted thereon for engagement with openings 0 formed in the forward end of the container.

The indexing and locking heads 116 are operated by an operating assembly 202 similar to that described in connection with the bolster 111 but differing therefrom in that the latching means for holding the bolster 201 against lengthwise movement are eliminated. Such latching means, of course, are not necessary because the bolster 201 is held located by way of the connections to the stanchion cushion 31 and the travel multiplying arrangements.

As shown in FIG. 5, there is fixed to the bolster 201 attachment angle plates 203 arranged to abut against the upstanding attachment plates 73 slide channels 67. Fastening the angle plates 203 to the attachment plates 73 are bolts and nuts 204. Thus, it is readily apparent that the bolster 201 may replace the kingpin plate 63 if the mounting structure of the container C is of the type which does not include a kingpin. Of course, the cushion travel of the bolster 201 will be the same as described above in the embodiment generally illustrated in FIG. 1A.

What is claimed is:

1. A railway car comprising an underframe, a collapsible stanchion including a plura ity of strut members mounted on said underframe for movement between an erect operative trailer supporting and hitching position and a collapsed position on said underframe, container supporting and mounting means supported on said underframe for lengthwise movement thereof, cushioning means having a predetermined lengthwise travel mounted on said underframe, means for detachably connecting said cushioning means to at least one of said strut members of said stanchion so as to cushion said stanchion in the operative position thereof, cushion travel multiplying means connectible between said cushioning means and said container supporting and mounting means when said stanchion is detached from said cushion means for imparting a greater cushion travel to said container supporting means.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said cushion travel multiplying means comprises a mechanical linkage arranged to increase the length of travel from the connection to said cushioning means, and the connection to said container mounting and supporting means.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said mechanical linkage includes a connecting arm connected to said cushioning means for lengthwise movement therewith, and a lever pivotally connected at one end of said underframe and at the other end to said container mounting and supporting means, said connecting arm being connected to said lever intermediate the ends thereof thereby to multiply the lengthwise travel of said cushion means by the ratio of the distance between the connections to said underframe and said container mounting means to the distance between the point of connection of the connecting arm to said lever and the connection of the latter to said container mounting and supporting means.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said travel multiplying means comprises a second lengthwise movable cushioning means connected in series with said cushioning means and connected to said container supporting and mounting means.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said cushioning means comprises resilient means providing a resisting force upon shear extension of said resilient means.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said cushioning means and said second cushion connected in series with said cushioning means each include resilient means providing a resisting force upon shear extension of said resilient means.

7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said container supporting and mounting arrangement includes a first support means for mounting and supporting one end of a container and a second support means for supporting the other end of the container, said first support means being separate from said second support means; and wherein said first support means is detachably connected to said cushioning means.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said cushion travel multiplying means comprises a mechanical linkage arranged to increase the length of travel from the connection to said cushioning means, and the connection to said container mounting and supporting means.

9. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said travel multiplying means comprises a second lengthwise movable cushioning means connected in series with said cushioning means and connected to said container supporting and mounting means.

10. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said cushioning means comprises resilient means providing a resisting force upon shear extension of said resilient means.

11. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said cushioning means and said second cushion connected in series with said cushioning means each includes resilient means providing a resisting force upon shear extension of said resilient means.

12. In a railway car having an underframe, a container supporting and mounting arrangement including a first container supporting and mounting means for supporting and mounting one end of a container on said car, a second container supporting and mounting means for supporting and mounting the opposite end of said container and :being separate from said first container mounting and supporting means, means guiding first and second said container mounting and supporting means for lengthwise movement of said car, at least one of said first and second container supporting means being in the form of a bolster having transversely spaced rotatable indexing and locking heads mounted thereon for engagement with openings in the underside of a container, operating means on said bolster for turning said rotatable indexing and locking heads from an indexing position to a locked position, means on said bolster for locking said bolster against lengthwise movement of said car a predetermined lengthwise distance from the other of said container mounting and supporting means during indexing of the container on said car, said indexing and locking head operating means including means for releasing said bolster for lengthwise movement when said heads are turned f-rom said indexing to said container locking position.

No references cited.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

D. E. HOFFMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A RAILWAY CAR COMPRISING AN UNDERFRAME, A COLLAPSIBLE STANCHION INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF STRUT MEMBERS MOUNTED ON SAID UNDERFRAME FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN ERECT OPERATIVE TRAILER SUPPORTING AND HITCHING POSITION AND A COLLAPSED POSITION ON SAID UNDERFRAME, CONTAINER SUPPORTING AND MOUNTING MEANS SUPPORTED ON SAID UNDERFRAME FOR LENGTHWISE MOVEMENT THEREOF, CUSHIONING MEANS HAVING A PREDETERMINED LENGTHWISE TRAVEL MOUNTED ON SAID UNDERFRAME, MEANS FOR DETACHABLY CONNECTING SAID CUSHIONING MEANS TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID STRUT MEMBERS OF SAID STANCHION SO AS TO CUSHION SAID STANCHION IN THE OPERATIVE POSITION THEREOF, CUSHION TRAVEL MULTIPLYING MEANS CONNECTIBLE BETWEEN SAID CUSHIONING MEANS AND 